The Raider Nation Newsletter

Dear Atholton Families,

I would be remiss if I did not mention 9/11 as I send out this message on September 11th. As we have done since the terrorist attack in 2001, we remembered the lives lost in NYC, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. Following the Pledge of Allegiance this morning, our students and staff observed a moment of silence. Although our students were not even alive in 2001, our staff definitely was and they were impacted by the lives lost and they remember quite vividly, as I'm sure you may too, what you were doing and where you were when the planes struck the twin towers (and the events that unfolded that morning). For those of you who lost loved ones on 9/11, my thoughts are with you today. For those who were a first responder that day, thank you for your service.

In a similar way that we came together as a country after 9/11, we have the same opportunity to come together as a school as we celebrate Homecoming next week. We represent different grade levels, different sports, different clubs and activities. Yet, we are all Raiders! The spirit week and the fun events we have planned provide everyone with a chance to show our school spirit, to be with one another, and to celebrate #AtholtonPride! We can't wait to see our students, staff, and community rally for this celebration.

Sincerely,

Nick Novak

Principal

We are now down to two routes that are temporarily suspended: 1144 and 1165. Students who rode bus 1148 are now served by bus 926. As HCPSS shared, families will receive text messages if there is a delay or cancellation of bus service. If you haven't done so already, download the Zum mobile app so you can track your/your student's bus and receive communications from Zum. Thanks for your continued patience and flexibility in working through the bus issues. The arrival and dismissal process is definitely getting better.

The pandemic brought to light (and in many cases exacerbated) the food insecurities many of our families face. Atholton HS has always been committed to supporting families in need and we're making sure that we can serve our community right here at school. You'll hear more about when we'll be able to host distribution events and who can get food, but for now our priority is to establish our inventory. There are two ways you can help out: 1) From the comfort of your own home, you can shop online from our Amazon Wishlist and have the items delivered directly to the school or 2) you can drop off non-perishable items in our front office. Suggested items appear below:

You may have noticed that we now have a yellow Planet Aid donation box in the front parking lot. This is another way we are supporting those in need. Your donations of new or gently used clothing will go to people in need AND Atholton HS will get money throughout the year based on how much clothing is donated. The more you donate, the more we get. The funds we receive will go in our Student Support account and will be accessed to help Atholton students and families in need. Check out the flyer below and start dropping off your donations!

Hallway Decorating

All students interested in decorating their class hallways are welcome to come Sunday, September 17 from 10 AM - 3 PM. Our theme this year is Blockbuster Epic Movies (seniors - Marvel Cinematic Universe, juniors - Toy Story, sophomores - Avatar, freshmen - Harry Potter)

Spirit Week

Dress to impress! Students will be meeting Tuesday, 9/12 after school in the Media Center to vote on this year's spirit days; all are welcome to help vote! A schedule will follow via Student Community so that you can plan ahead on what to wear.

Pep Rally

We end the school week with a pep rally for the whole school at the end of the day on Friday 9/22. The theme day for sprit week is color day and each grade level has a specific color: seniors wear black, juniors wear white, sophomores wear green, and freshmen wear grey.

Homecoming Breakfast

Start your Saturday with a hearty breakfast at Atholton HS. You'll need to fuel up for all the fun events planned for Saturday. Get your tickets for $10 at https://www.atholtonboosters.org/packet/39637603

Homecoming Parade

The parade will travel down Freetown Road, Quarterstaff Road, and Fair Oaks. Spectators can come see our student groups and floats—bring a bag to collect candy! Community groups interested in participating in the parade should contact Mr. Stuppy, thomas_stuppy@hcpss.org

Homecoming Game

We are playing the Centennial Eagles for Homecoming. Game time is 1pm and we'll have a fantastic performance by the marching band at halftime as well as the presentation of colors by JROTC and cheering throughout the game led by our cheerleaders! Get your tickets on Go Fan!

Homecoming Dance

The dance will be held from 7:30-10:30 PM on September 23rd. There will be music, dancing, refreshments, and video games including Super Smash Bros. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online through Wednesday 9/20:

https://osp.osmsinc.com/HowardMD/BVModules/ProductTemplates/Bvc2013/Product.aspx?productid=DA011-164 Guest ticket forms are due no later than 3pm on September 20th:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rck_7QTp5m2ct4sPY2rKVl8l7oI2wNQ0/view?usp=sharing

9/12 Back to Music Night-7pm

9/13 First Raider Time of the Year (Students need to sign up with teachers)

9/15 Schools & Offices Closed

9/19 PTSA Meeting-7:30pm

9/22 Homecoming Pep Rally for Students

9/23 Homecoming Events (Breakfast, Parade, Powder Puff Football, Football Game, & Dance)

9/25 Schools & Offices Closed

As we kicked off the 2023-2024 school year, principals, security assistants, and School Resource Officers (SROs) all participated in a full-day training to review safety protocols and best practices for responding to various situations we experience in schools. One of the speakers who presented shared a website that may help some of our students. Take It Down is a website that helps students/families remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before students were 18. If you/your child was a victim of someone posting photos online or made the ill-advised decision to post it themselves, this website is exactly what you need. There are also a lot of great resources for supporting young people dealing with this situation and for talking to teens about how to prevent incidents like this from ever happening.

Atholton PTSA

Atholton Boosters

Atholton Drama Boosters

Atholton JROTC Boosters

Atholton Music Boosters

Atholton Robotics Boosters